Hiro's Awakening
by HiroNaotukaoi
Summary: When the Tenchi cast finds the corpse of an old friend, it turns out they're in for more than what they think.
1. Part 1

PROLOGUE  
It was an ordinary day, just like any other. Except for the fact that one of the girls in the Masaki household had passed away. But it wasn't naturally. Hiro Naotukaoi had been murdered after being violently hurt many times before. It was because of something that had been happening at her house in Tokyo. She said, the day before her death, that something weird was happening. Then, one night, she had been innocently getting ready to go out with her first, and last, boyfriend, when she was deliberately murdered. Her body was found by Tenchi Masaki and the girls, Ayeka Jurai, Kiyone Makibi, Mihoshi Kuramitsu, Ryoko Wakatsuki, Sasami Jurai and Washu Hakubi, a day later. Her spirit, supposedly, still haunts the house, especially her bedroom. People who have entered, or those who survived it, had claimed to have heard the sound of crying, occasional screams, footsteps and have even seen a white, shadowy plume walking the halls of the large house, which could've been a hotel. There were also many rooms of suspicion, where many "accidents" occured, like when Hiro lost her entire left arm in the basement bathroom, or nearly drowned in the upstairs shower. Because of these incidents, Ayeka, Kiyone, Mihoshi, Ryoko, Sasami, Tenchi and Washu have been asked to spend a week in the house, having to do a different dare to investigate one of the many suspicious rooms each night. The lights were only to be turned on in the one control room where the instructions were to be given. This was also the room where the six girls and Tenchi would stay for the week. If someone, it doesn't matter who it is, backs out of their dare, they would be asked to leave the house immediately. There was also a very tricky part to the whole test that everyone had to pass to survive. After completing the dare and getting back to the control room, the person, whoever it was, would have to take a "homing instinct" test. Two doors would be in clear view, one leading to the control room, the other to where Hiro's body lay in a black coffin, surrounded by candles. It is a legend that who - or what - ever disturbed her peaceful slumber by entering the room would suffer a painful fate, and not a good one either. However, the one person who would be able to enter the room and possibly bring Hiro back, would have to be the one who entered her bedroom and completed the dare - to investigate EVERYTHING without backing out and no help from the navigator, for at least an hour. If it was completed without facing Hiro's spirit, she would come back to life. If the person was to encounter the spirit and survive, they would be asked to leave the house. If they were to encounter and die, well, that kind of explains the fate itself. And so, our quest begins...  
CHAPTER 1  
  
"It seems kind of violent, doesn't it?" asked Ayeka, after reading the rules for the game on the computer screen. "Why do we have do do this anyway?"  
"I'm guessing it's because we were the ones who found Hiro's body after the murder," answered Kiyone, trying to keep as calm as possible.  
"But why?" asked Mihoshi. "Why would someone actually bring us here to risk our lives?"  
"Maybe it was in her will," suggested Ryoko, staring dumbfounded at the computer screen.  
"Well whatever it means, I'm not going out there," said Sasami, the youngest of the group. "I'm certainly not going to die because Hiro wants me to." She was scared of whatever it was this dare game meant, that was for sure. But it just didn't seem right that someone would want them to die because of an accident that happened, was it a week ago? Whatever it was, it certainly wasn't going to stop the seven of them from completing whatever this obstacle course had in store.  
"I'll take your place," said Washu, eager to get in on the action. "I'm actually looking forward to it."  
"Well, should we get started?" asked Tenchi Masaki, who was, unfortunately, the only male of the seven. "Who's going first?"  
"It all depends on the computer's decision, doesn't it?" said Ayeka, nearly doubting herself.  
"No, we have to pick randomly," said Kiyone in such a narrow tone it made Ayeka fall to the floor laughing.  
"I'm serious," said Kiyone, losing her patience. "On the keyboard is a complete list of our names, go over, close your eyes and push one of them. But first, we need the listings of the rooms." She walked over to the computer and found the map. Surprisingly, as soon as it was opened, a voice from the computer's system began to speak.  
"There are five rooms of suspicion," it said. "The five rooms are the second floor bathroom, where Hiro nearly drowned, the basement bathroom, where she lost her right arm, the main lobby, where she was stabbed in the back, the kitchen, where her arm was burned badly and Hiro's bedroom on the third floorm, where she was killed."  
"Well," said Kiyone once the computer was done speaking. "It's time to get down to business. Ayeka, PUSH A BUTTON!"  
"Okay, okay," said Ayeka, getting back up. "I'll push one of the buttons." Then, with one hand over her eyes, she pushed one. Putting her hand down and staring at the screen, she said nothing.  
"What's wrong, Ayeka?" asked Mihoshi. "Did you push your name?"  
"No, I don't know who's I pushed," Ayeka answered. "It says 'loading data'." Almost immediately after she finished her sentence, the computer began to give out it's information.  
"SASAMI is to go on the first dare," it said "WASHU will be navigating her." Two pictures of the two young women flashed up on the screen.  
"I look horrible," said Washu, looking over Ayeka's shoulder, which was hard because of her height, to see the screen.  
"There's no time to worry about that picture," said Ayeka. "I only pushed one button. How did the computer get Washu's name? Or Sasami's, whichever one I didn't press."  
"You pushed Sasami's name," said Washu, smartly. 'My name appeared as the navigator. The navigator is the person two names after the selected when put in alphabetical order. Take Sasami for example. She's the one going on the dare. The person two names after her just happens to be me, as you can see, Tenchi's name falls in between."  
"Oh, I get it, sort of," said Mihoshi. "That means if I'm going on the dare..." She paused for a second. "Sasami's navigating."  
"Yes," said Washu, fighting the urge to clap for her dull-witted friend.  
"I guess we should get started," said Sasami, obviously worried. "What am I supposed to do?"  
Washu swiftly pushed Ayeka over and sat down in front of the computer. She tapped into the system, getting instructions on what to do next.  
"SASAMI is to travel up to the second floor bathroom where Hiro was nearly drowned. The water is already running. Your dare is to somehow cover up the drain and sit under the running water for a half an hour, or however long it may take for the water to cover up to your NECK?!" Washu read outloud. "Why up to your neck?" Then she cleared her throat and continued reading.  
"If you complete this dare, you and your team will get $500 in spending money. If not, you will be asked to leave the mansion immediately." Washu stood up. "That's all it says."  
"Well, I'm guessing you should be going now, Sasami," said Ayeka, fearing for her little sister's life. "Good luck."  
"Remember to take this with you," said Washu, handing Sasami a small walkie-talkie radio. "It's the only way I'll be able to communicate and navigate you."  
"All the best to you, Sasami," said Kiyone.  
"Good luck!" added Mihoshi, suprisingly feeling very cheerful, in spite of the serious buisiness going on.  
"I hope you come back alive," Ryoko agreed, somewhat. "We'll need you, since no one else knows how to cook."  
"We'll all be here waiting," said Tenchi. "We'll see you real soon, okay?"  
Sasami nodded, picked up a small flashlight and a camera and walked out the door. Everything suddenly fell silent. Nobody dared to say anything or even move a muscle. Then, Ryoko spoke up, breaking the silence.  
"As long as she doesn't lose her head," she said, unaware that Ayeka had turned powder white.  
"I think I'm going to blow chunks," she said and passed out on the floor. By the time she recovered from her fall, Washu had already turned on the speaker to the computer and was directing Sasami.  
"Sasami, where are you now?" she asked. It was right then that Ayeka became aware of her surroundings. Tenchi and Kiyone kneeled on the floor by her side and Ryoko and Mihoshi were over by the computer with Washu. Then a crackling noise was heard throughout the room. Sasami was replying.  
"I'm on the first floor," she said. "Where do I go from here?" The camera she carried connected to the computer and it indicated where she was and what she was doing.  
"Okay, find the staircase and go up," answered Washu as Ryoko and Mihoshi looked over her shoulder at the computer screen. The camera showed the staircase Washu was talking about. Next to that was a map of the entire house. A bright, white room flashed on the second floor view and a white line was shown going up the staircase. On the third floor, however, was another red line that, at that point in time, didn't seem very important.  
"Okay, I'm up the stairs," Sasami said. It was pitch black and she knew that something evil was nearby, possibly Hiro's spirit. The only friendly sight was the dim beam of light that shown from the flashlight she was carrying.  
"Find the room with paint peeling off of the door. It's brown, just in case that helps," said Washu. "That's the bathroom door, can you hear the shower water running?"  
"Yeah, I can hear it, but faintly," answered Sasami, nearly trippimg over the carpet. "I go inside?"  
"You found the door?"  
"Uhh, yeah, I think so."  
"Point your camera towards it."  
So, Sasami did as instructed. After a long moment of hesitation and reflecting, Washu finally answered.  
"Yeah, that's the one, now you have to go inside. Sasami? Sasami? Answer me!" But Sasami was petrified.  
"Washu," she whispered. "I see the ghost. The spirit of Hiro. She hasn't seen me yet, but... HELP!"  
"Point the camera at it. I want to see this." As ordered, Sasami lifted the camera with shaky hands. The myth was reality. The spirit looked exactly like the late Hiro Naotukaoi, the same face, the same long hair, everything. The only difference was the shadowy, white look the spirit had. Sasami had frozen in horror and only snapped out of her shock when Washu ordered her, for about the tenth time, to open the bathroom door and go inside. After the door was closed, Sasami leaned against it, taking deep breaths.  
"That was close," she said in between breaths. "That thing - she could've killed me!"  
"Sasami! Are you okay?" said a familiar voice that wasn't Washu's. Ayeka had pushed Washu aside when Sasami mentioned the spirit. "You're still alive, aren't you?"  
"Of course I'm still alive, Ayeka," said Sasami, followed by a long series of loud screams.  
"SASAMI!" screamed Ayeka into the radio, loud enough to be heard miles away. "Sasami, are you all right?"  
Nothing but light, raspy breaths came from the other end. Sasami was obviously dying.  
"Sasami, ANSWER ME!"  
Again, silence from Sasami.  
"Sasami, are you okay?"  
"S-S-She tried to kill me," answered Sasami, finally. "She stuck her hand in here - and tried to kill me."  
"Just hurry up and complete the dare," said Washu, pushing Ayeka out of the way. "So you can get out of there and survive." Without hesitation, Sasami obeyed. The water was freezing cold, but that wasn't exactly something Sasami was worried about then. She found the object - a plasitc bath mat - and covered up the drain. Then she stepped into the shower, taking the radio with her.  
"Now what do I do?" she asked, looking around the shower, nervously. After seeing that spirit once, she most certainly didn't want to see it again, especially if it meant death for her and the others.  
"You just sit there," answered Washu. So, that's exactly what she did, she sat there, doing absolutely nothing. Three, long hours under the freezing, cold water. Or maybe the water was burning hot and Sasami was just petrified to the freezing point. Finally, the water reached the little girl's shoulders.  
"You're almost done, Sasami," said Washu, reassuringly. "You just have to hang in there." Sasami shivered. The cold water wasn't cold anymore and the only shiver that she had was the shiver of fear. Finally the water reached her neck. As soon as it did, Sasami jumped out, moved the plastic mat away from the drain and ran all the way back to where she thought the control room was. But when she arrived, two doors greeted her. She remembered the rules :  
  
... one leading to the control room, the other to where Hiro's body lay... It is a legend that who... ever disturbed her... would suffer a painful fate, and not a good one either.  
  
Sasami hesitated. She started to head towards the door on the right, then stopped and went to the one on the left. She never actually touched one of the doorknobs, but was beginning to get an instinct - to head towards the door on the right. But what if her instincts were wrong, not developed all the way because she was only a little girl? What if she chose the wrong door and died? What would happen to Ayeka and the others if she died? She needed some advice.  
"Washu," she asked. "Washu, are you there? Can you here me? Please answer, I need some help."  
"Yeah, I'm here," answered Washu. Sasami tried to figure out which room her voice was coming from, but it was no use. "Are you all right, Sasami?"  
"I'm at the two doors," answered Sasami. "I need a little bit of help. Do I follow my instincts or do I just ignore them?"  
"What do your instincts tell you to do?"  
"To go to the door on the right."  
Washu was silent for a moment. She was thinking, that was for sure. Then, soon enough, she began to speak.  
"You were good friends with Hiro when she was alive, weren't you?"  
"Well, yeah, I guess so."  
"Well, that's why your instincts are telling you to go to the door on the right, because of that firendship... uh, that's all I'm going to say, got it, Sasami?"  
Sasami nodded in understanding. She turned around and opened the door on the left. As soon as she did, Ayeka, ran up to her little sister and threw her arms around her neck.  
"SASAMI! I was so worried that you'd never make it through the whole thing. I was so worried about you!" she said, straightening up again. Washu stood up and also ran to greet Sasami. Mihoshi nearly passed out with relief on Kiyone's shoulder and Ryoko hugged Tenchi, nearly strangling him.  
"Well," said Ryoko, still hanging on to Tenchi. "That's it for night one. Now it's time to CELEBRATE!" She jumped into the air and landed on the computer.  
"For breakfast, who want's some deep-fried bat heads?" No sooner had the words escaped her mouth did Ayeka pass out on the floor - again!  
  
CHAPTER 2  
  
"Well, it's night number two," said Ryoko. "Who's going to be suffering tonight?"  
"Not me," said Ayeka, backing away. "I've already been terrified enough in the past, um... night."  
"It could possibly be you going out there," replied Washu. "It all depends on who's name is picked."  
"What if it's my name again," asked Sasami, still shivering with fear from the previous night. "I most certainly do NOT want to do that all over again."  
"Don't worry about it, Sasami," Washu said reassuringly. "Your name's been deleted from the entire thing, except for the fact that we get $500!"  
"So who's going to have to decide randomly who goes on the next dare?"  
"YOU ARE!"  
Sasami hesitated a little. She didn't know if Washu had been telling the truth or what. She walked over to the control panel, looked at the keyboard and sighed with relief. There were only six names listed : Ayeka, Kiyone, Mihoshi, Ryoko, Tenchi and Washu.  
"Go ahead, Sasami," tempted Washu, getting impatiant. "Push one, it's okay." So, the little girl closed her eyes and pushed one of the buttons. When she looked at the screen, she saw nothing but black, except for some bold, white letters forming the words, "loading data', which flashed on and off the screen. Finally, the words disappeared and two pictures took the place of the black.  
"KIYONE is to go on the dare," said the computer. "RYOKO is to be navigating."  
"I'm dead," Kiyone muttered, followed by a laugh. "Ryoko's going to be joking around saying 'go left' instead of 'go right', then I'll realy be doomed."  
"Oh, be quiet," said Ryoko, sitting in the same chair Washu had sat in the night before. "But thanks for the good idea. Now, how do I do this?"  
"It's easy," said Washu. "See, here on the map is the destination, and this white line is where the person, in this case, Kiyone, is now. Your job is to direct Kiyone to wherever she's supposed to go. Now we get into the system to find out what exactly they want her to do for this dare." She got into the computer's system once again and backed away so Ryoko could read the directions.  
"KIYONE is to travel to the basement bathroom where Hiro lost her left arm." Ryoko stopped reading here to look over at Ayeka, who looked as if she were going to hurl. Then, she cleard her throat and continued reading.  
"Your dare is to investigate EVERY CORNER of the bathroom for ten minutes. You will have to have radio silence as soon as you enter. If you complete this dare, you and your team will get $500 in spending money. If not, you will be asked to leave the mansion immediately."  
"This will NOT end very well," said Kiyone, grabbing a flashlight and the camera. "I might as well say goodbye now."  
"Good luck, Kiyone," said Mihoshi, shaking her partner on the shoulder. "I'll miss you terribly if you don't come back."  
"I'm coming back, Mihoshi," said Kiyone in reply. "Thank you very much for your concern." Then, with that, she left, leaving Mihoshi nearly in tears.  
Not long after she left did Kiyone turn on the radio asking Ryoko for some advice.  
"Where do I go now from here?" she asked Ryoko, looking around nervously.  
"Uhh... let's see. You're directly inside the main lobby. From there, you have to go... right."  
"Right?"  
"Right? Whoever said anything about right?"  
"You did."  
"Sorry, I get my right and left confused a lot. I meant go left.  
"Left? Okay... I'm going left."  
"Sike, I meant right!"  
"RYOKO!"  
"Sorry, go right."  
"Are you serious?"  
"Yes, I swear, it's right, go right."  
Kiyone hesitated before swiching her direction. After she figured Ryoko was really telling the truth this time, she turned around and went to the right.  
"SIKE!"  
"Ryoko, I'm serious this time, which way do I go?"  
"Ignore her, Kiyone," said Ayeka, pushing Ryoko. "The direction you want to go in is right, continue on."  
After that had been cleared up and Kiyone was on her way downstairs, Ryoko once again took control of the radio.  
"Now, where is the bathroom?" asked Kiyone, her voice shaking. Something was going to happen, and it wasn't going to be very pleasent.  
"It's the green one with yellow stripes that says 'bathroom' in big, white letters. I don't know which one it is," said Ryoko, getting bored. Then, suddenly, she became alert.  
"Washu, you're smart," she said nervously. "Can you tell me what the red trail that's following Kiyone's is?" Washu took a look at it and knew instantly.  
"It's the spirit," she said, seeming very calm, surprisingly. "The spirit's going to kill Kiyone." They heard a slight thump on the floor. Mihoshi had fainted and Sasami was at her side, trying to wake her up. Washu then grabbed the radio out of Ryoko's hand.  
"Kiyone, look out behind you," she said loudly. "Kiyone, do you hear me?"  
"I-Is Kiyone all right?" asked Mihoshi, slowly standing up, the color returning to her face.  
"For now she is," said Ryoko, taking the radio again. "Kiyone, LOOK OUT FOR WHAT'S BEHIND YOU!"  
"Yes, yes, I heard you the first time," answered Kiyone. "There's nothing there, I already looked." But as she said that, she looked around the hallway nervously. "There's... nothing here. I'm... fine."  
"KIYONE! WHAT'S THAT BEHIND YOU?" That was Mihoshi.  
"I'm fine, don't worry, nothing's there. Now, where's the bathroom?"  
"KIYONE!"  
"Mihoshi! What's wrong with you?" Those were her last words. The spirit of Hiro stuck her two arms through Kiyone's body, one through her neck, the other through her chest. The camera Kiyone held fell to the floor and ended up facing the direction of which the murdering was occuring. Everything was seen on screen.  
"NO! KIYONE!" Mihoshi screamed. "Kiyone, you can't die! You just can't!" That was as far as she was concerned. She ran out the door and into the direction of which Kiyone was being killed. After a while, the rest of the people in the control room heard her screams for help and then silence. Ryoko hung her head in sorrow. Ayeka prayed. Sasami kept shaking her head, saying 'She was a nice girl.' They all knew what had just happened. It looked like those were two people who weren't going to see outdoor life - or any life - again. But, surprisingly, a few minutes afterward, they heard footsteps. At first, they realized that it was possible that Mihoshi had returned alive. Then, they realized it could have been the spirit, coming to kill off the rest of them. But an object soon appeared at the door which was wide open. One was carrying another. It was hard to tell who it was in the dim light. But one of them was powder white, that one must have been the spirit. But the two objects entered the control room and shut the door. The one who could have been the spirit was hard to recognize the true identity, for she held her head low and her face could not be seen, but the other one was Mihoshi.  
"Oh, no" said Sasami. "She's..." But her sentence was cut off because the unknown spirit began to speak.  
"She's alive," it said, looking up. "We both are." It wasn't the spirit after all. It was Kiyone.  
  
CHAPTER 3  
  
"Well, so much for that dare," said Ryoko, upset that they hadn't gotten another $500. "I guess we have to do another pushing to see who actually completes it. Kiyone, you're pushing." So, the young woman carefully walked over to the control panel, where only five names remained. She closed her eyes and pushed one. Again, the 'loading data' sign flashed, soon followed by the two pictures.  
"TENCHI is to complete KIYONE's dare. AYEKA is to be navigating." said the computer.  
"I can't do that," said Tenchi, whining. "You guys saw what happened to Kiyone, that could happen to me."  
"So, you're backing out?" said Ryoko. "Please don't, you'll have to go back home if you do."  
"Okay, okay, fine, I'll go," said Tenchi, grabbing the flashlight. "I'll take the camera that's already down there, okay? I'll go now." Then he left in the same direction Kiyone and Mihoshi had walked in only a few minutes earlier.   
"Tenchi, do you have the camera yet?" asked Ayeka a few minutes after he had left.   
"Yeah, I have the camera," he answered. "Look at the screen, can't you tell from there?"  
"Oh, yeah, right, the screen, okay, I will."  
"So which one's the bathroom door? Wait. maybe I shouldn't have asked that."  
"Why not?"  
"Isn't that the same thing Kiyone asked before she was attacked by Hiro's spirit?"  
Ayeka checked the map. "The spirit's all the way upstairs," she told him. "You're fine."  
"Okay, NOW WHERE'S THE BATHROOM?!"  
"Okay, okay, keep going straight, it's the second door on the left, not the right, the left."  
"Is it just me," said Ryoko, obviously bored. "Or did Hiro have some bad luck with all these bathrooms?"  
"Okay, I'm in the bathroom," said Tenchi. "And there's a lot of blood on the floor, probably from when Hiro lost her arm."  
"Okay, good, you're there?" asked Ayeka. "Great, the radio silence begins... now."  
He looked around. There was darkness showering throughout the room. The large puddle of dark blood, that could've been black, that lay in front of the sink frightened him. However, he took a deep breath and went on with the rest of the dare.  
Two minutes remained and Tenchi was almost done observing the bathroom. Soon enough, the ten minutes were up and he began his way upstairs to the room. But, as promised, the two doors waited patiently for him.   
"Are you all right?" asked Ayeka. "I haven't heard from you since the start of the ten minutes."  
"Yeah, I'm okay," answered Tenchi. "I'm just deciding which door to go through."  
"Well, you'd better hurry up," screamed Ryoko. "Because the spirit's coming downstairs AND IN YOUR DIRECTION!!"  
That's when Tenchi started to get nervous.  
"I can't do this," he whined. "Please, I'll leave without hesitaion, just tell me which one it is," He looked in the direction of the stairs and saw the spirit. "NOW!"  
"Okay, okay, it's the one on the left," said Ayeka. Without stopping to think, Tenchi grabbed the left doorknob and thrust open the door, slamming it loudly behind him.  
"Well, I guess that's it for me," he said, walking towards the exit. "I'll see you guys when the week's over."  
"I guess I should leave as well," said Kiyone, getting her jacket and following Tenchi.  
"No, Kiyone, you can't!" said Mihoshi, sadly. "You just can't!"  
"I have to go, Mihoshi," said Kiyone, reassuringly. "I'll be okay, I'm only going home. I'll see you in a few days, okay?"  
"But... I'll miss you too much."  
"Yeah, sure, I'll miss you too, but I'll see you at the end of the week, got it?" She patted Mihoshi on the head. "I'm leaving now, I'll see you soon." Then, with that, she and Tenchi left, leaving only Ayeka, Mihoshi, Ryoko, Sasami and Washu in the room.  
  
CHAPTER 4  
  
"Well, now it's night three, two people have already left and we still only have $500," said Ayeka, "That's just too bad. Now we don't even have someone who will decide who goes on the next dare." But nobody seemed to be listening.  
"Two people in one night," whispered Washu. "I hope we can change our ways tonight."   
Mihoshi seemed to be only concerned of Kiyone's health and often cried herself to sleep on Ryoko's shoulder. Of course, that silence only lasted about one minute maximum.  
Sasami, because her dare had already been done, slept a lot on the large sofa, often waking up to the sound of Mihoshi's crying. Finally, Ryoko stood up and placed Mihoshi's head against a pillow. Then she turned to look at Ayeka.  
"So who's going on the next dare?" she asked. "We need to know so we can get on with night three."  
"Okay, okay, I'll decide who's going," said Ayeka, going over to the computer and pushing one of the four remaining buttons. The 'loading data' sign flashed for the fourth time, and Ayeka wished it would just stop. She sighed boredly, then the two pics showed up and the computer bagan to "speak" again.  
"MIHOSHI is to go on the next dare. SASAMI is to be navigating," it said.  
"I'm not even going to try," said Mihoshi, who had woken up upon hearing her name. "I can't, it'll be impossible.  
"You aren't even going to see what it it you have to do?" asked Ayeka, obviously concerned.  
"Well, okay, I'll see what it is," answered Mihoshi. "But I'm not guarenteeing I'll do it."  
"If you don't, though, you'll have to go home," said Sasami, still half asleep and sitting up slowly.  
"I don't think she really cares if she leaves or not," said Ryoko. "Although she'd probably prefer to leave. She's been worried sick about Kiyone. It may not have seemed that long ago, the departure, but do you know how many times she's fallen asleep in tears?" Mihoshi nodded, almost in agreement.  
"All right, we'll just find out what she has to do and get on with our life," said Ayeka. "If she doesn't complete this, we'll only have a chance of getting $2,000, and that's only a chance. This isn't very good, we all need more experiance at this stuff."  
"Anyway," said Washu, getting impatient. "Let's find out what it is Mihoshi's supposed to do. Am I still the only one who knows how to get into the system?"  
Four heads nodded, half eagerly, half in reply.  
"Okay, okay, I'll do it again, BUT ONE OF YOU PEOPLE BETTER BE WATCHING ME!!!"  
Again, the four heads nodded.  
Washu sighed and walked over to the computer. Ayeka looked over her shoulder as she got the informtion on what Mihoshi's dare was to be. Then the two of them backed away, allowing Sasami to read the info.  
"MIHOSHI is to travel to the main lobby where Hiro was nearly killed by being stabbed in the chest." Sasami paused here. "She wasn't killed then?" she asked.  
"No," answered Ayeka. "She was killed somewhere else. If I remember correctly, it was up in her bedroom." Sasami nodded in understanding. Then she continued reading.  
"You are to sit on the first step of the stairs where the incident happened. You must stay perfectly still. Do not stand up. Do not look around. Do not speak. You may use a safety on this dare. What's a safety?"  
"It's a person who assists you on your dare," answered Washu. "However, once you are doing your dare, they can't do anything except be 'the eyes in the back of your head'." Sasami nodded again. Then she finished up the last sentence.  
"If you complete this dare, you and your group will get $25,000!"  
"Wow, that's so neat!" said Mihoshi. "So, what about this safety business?"  
"Another random picking," said Washu. "Sasami, why don't you do it this time?"  
As she did that, once again, like she did the second night, she had a flashback of the first night, the night she went out on the dare. It was possible she picked her own name. But, once again, the 'loading data', followed by a single pic in the center of the screen.   
"RYOKO is to be MIHOSHI's safety on this dare," said the computer.  
"Okay, let's get going," said Ryoko, excitedly, eager for some action.  
"But... what about Kiyone?" asked Mihoshi. "Will Kiyone be all right?"  
"Kiyone isn't even here," said Ryoko, grabbing the flashlight, camera and Mihoshi's hand. "Now come on, we've got to go."  
"But...?"  
"come ON!" So, with all said and done, Mihoshi and Ryoko opened the door and left without another word.  
"Is everything okay, you two?" asked Sasami a few minutes after they had left.  
"Ummm, I think we're lost," Mihoshi answered, looking around.  
"What makes you say that?"  
"We're upstairs."  
"Y'see, even on a quest as easy as this, Mihoshi always seems to get lost," said Ryoko, unamused. "How are we supposed to complete this dare if she keeps getting us lost?"  
"Well, first of all, you two need to get downstairs," answered Sasami.  
"DUH! You don't think we've noticed that already? It doesn't take a rocket scientist to realize the MAIN LOBBY is NOT upstairs!"  
"Calm down, Ryoko," said Mihoshi. "Don't yell at Sasami. It's not her fault I got us lost." As she said this, a moaning sound came from somewhere in the room. Mihoshi turned around.  
"Hey, Ryoko," she asked, her voice shaking. "Was that you who made that noise just now?" But Ryoko wasn't listening. She didn't even seem to have heard the moan. She was to busy talking to herself.  
"Listen, we are not lost," she said. "It's not so hard to just turn around and go back downstairs to the lobby." But Mihoshi was petrified.  
"IT IS WHEN HIRO'S SPIRIT IS RIGHT BEHIND YOU!" she said terrified. Ryoko looked up at her.  
"Yes, it is," she said, calmly. "But that's a comepletely different story, just so you know."  
"NO RYOKO, I'M SERIOUS, THE SPIRIT IS RIGHT BEHIND YOU!"  
"Mihoshi, what's wrong with you?" T.B.C.  



	2. Part 2

Just like Kiyone. Her fate just like Kiyone's. Poor Ryoko. One of the spirit's arms through her neck, the other through her chest. There were only two differences. Number one, Mihoshi dropped the camera and ran, not stopping until she got to the control room. She didn't even hesitate when it came to the doors. Number two, Ryoko didn't survive.  
"Mihoshi, what happened?" asked Ayeka once the door was closed. "Where's Ryoko?"  
"Ryoko's dead," Mihoshi sobbed. "I didn't even try to save her. I didn't want to feel the pain I did last time that happened. I don't want to stay here anymore, you guys, I don't want to see anyone else die. I want to go back home, back to where I'll be okay and not risk my life." She fell to the floor and buried her face in her hands.   
"It's okay, Mihoshi," said Washu, sitting by her friends side and placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "You don't have to stay here anymore. Why don't you and Sasami go back home? Ayeka and I will be fine here for three more nights, I assure you."  
"And I assure you Ryoko's still okay," said Ayeka. "Trust me, she won't go easily if she knows Tenchi is still alive."  
Mihoshi nodded and dried her eyes off on her sleeve.  
"Okay," she said, standing up again. "I guess I'll go now." Then, without hesitation, she took Sasami by the hand and the two of them left.  
CHAPTER 5  
  
Ryoko lay still and unmoving. She had died that same night that she was attcked by Hiro's spirit. But it didn't occur directly afterwards. She had died after Ayeka and Washu found her, to tell her that Mihoshi and Sasami had gone back home, and they'd be fine, if she could just hold out one more night. But she had only nodded and said 'That's good. Say goodbye for me.' Then she died.  
However, a few minutes after the death of Ryoko, a shadowed figure appeared and knelt down beside the body, feeling for a pulse. Obviously, none was found. The figure picked up the body and carried it downstairs, all the way down to where the two doors were. However, instead of going to the left door, the figure turned and went to the one on the right. That is the last time we hear from Ryoko. And Ayeka and Washu don't have the slightest idea this just happened.  
The spirit's evil seems to be working, not just on Ryoko, but Kiyone as well. The morning after Ryoko's death, Ayeka had gotten a call from Sasami. Kiyone had died. Mihoshi, from what was heard, hadn't stopped crying and had even brought up suicide. She had been stopped several times from taking a knife to her throat.  
However, Kiyone and Ryoko's deaths and Mihoshi's threats were only a few of the problems Ayeka and Washu were having. The two girls had spent two of the three remaining nights just trying to figure out what the spirit really was and what it wanted. Several times, they had heard voices in the hallways, but they all seemed to be the same. There was apparently some other person in the mansion. The question was who? Could it have possibly been the spirit?  
With all said and done, Ayeka and Washu have been keeping in touch with the other three, trying to comfort Mihoshi and stop her from doing anything too violent. Sasami had offered to come back to help Ayeka and Washu, but Mihoshi wouldn't allow her to leave. However, with one night and one dare left, they really didn't need any. Sure, the deaths of Hiro, Ryoko and Kiyone were hard for Ayeka and the others to handle, but they've held together through it all, no matter how much fear they had to endure. Speaking of which, this final dare is said to be the worst one. And so, the dare begins.  
CHAPTER 6  
  
"Have you got a solution to it all yet, Washu?" asked Ayeka, hopeful of getting some sort of answer.  
"Not the slightest idea," answered Washu, sounding disappointed. "I certainy hope I can find some sort of explination soon, though."  
"Well, are you ready for the final night?" asked Ayeka, sighing in half relief of the dreadful week's end, half discouraged by the lack of good news. Washu looked up at her.  
"I'm ready," she said. There was a sort of disappointment in her voice. Either disappointment or sadness. This concerned Ayeka greatly. She sighed again. At least tonight is the last night, she thought. Then it'll all just be a bad memory of the past. Then we'll be able to go back home. Or at least one of us will. It all depends whether or not the finl person encountered the spirit or not. And whether or not they lived.  
"You wanna press it?" asked Washu, breaking Ayeka's train of thought. She blinked her eyes a few times, as if she were just waking up.  
"Press what?" asked Ayeka confused, just snapping out of her daydream. Her long hair was tangled and oily from not having washed it in a while. Washu's was even worse.  
"The button," answered Washu, aware of Ayeka's sudden absent-mindness. "Do you want to press the button?"  
"Sure, I guess so," said Ayeka. She walked over to the computer and pressed a button for her third time. And the last. The 'loading data' sign flashed. For the last time. Everything seemed to be so final. The two final pictures showed on the screen. However, there seemed to be a slight problem.  
"WASHU is to go on the dare," said the computer. "KIYONE is to be navigating."  
"Little does this stupid computer know that Kiyone is already dead," muttered Ayeka.  
"Well, I guess that leaves you to navigate," said Washu, walking over to the computer. "What is it I'm supposed to do?"  
So Ayeka got into the system. For her first and last time. The way Washu did it, it looked so easy. Ayeka soon found out that it was exactly the opposite. It took a while of thinking and experimenting before Ayeka actually got to the system. When she finally did, Washu applauded.   
"Congradulations Ayeka!" she said. "You did it! You actually got into the computer! Now what do I do?" Ayeka cleared her throat and began to read.   
"WASHU is to travel to Hiro's third floor bedroom, where her spirit supposedly still hangs around. Your dare is to sit on the floor, in the exact position as Hiro was when she was killed. Stay in this position for a half an hour, then use the other half to browse around the bedroom, no flashlight. If you complete this dare, you will recieve $25,000."   
"Well, I guess I should be on my way now," said Washu, half-heartedly. "I'll see you soon." She grabbed the camera and flashlight and walked out the door, leaving Ayeka alone at the computer.  
  
Halfway to her destination, Washu stopped and looked around. Some kind of running water was coming from some direction in the hallway. Suddenly stopping in her tracks, she saw the brown, lack-of-paint door that opened to the bathroom Sasami had completed the first dare in. Making up her mind, she turned on her heels and went back downstairs.  
"Ayeka," she said into the radio. "I've decided to look around the place for a while. Where's Hiro's spirit located?"  
Ayeka was silent for a little while, then she answered, sounding as if she had just woken up.  
"She's up on the third floor," she told Washu, stifling a yawn. "Don't worry, have a nice time." Without waiting for Ayeka to reply, Washu lowered the radio and went down to the very first floor of the entire house - the basement.  
  
There was really nothing interesting down in the basement. Many of the rooms were just boiler rooms, infected with cobwebs and dust. Only one of them was still working and another had a gigantic puddle of gasoline on the floor. Only one room sparked Washu's interest in the slightest way - the bathroom. Like the boiler rooms, it needed a serious cleaning job, especially, as Tenchi had said, the rug in front of the sink, which was stained black. Well, that proved it. Hiro had always been thought of as abnormal, but now, upon seeing the color of her blood, it was proof. Turning to go back to the first floor, her foot hit something metal. Bending over to pick it up, then shining the dim beam of the flashlight over it, she saw it was Kiyone's gun, which had obviously been left behind in the life-and-death struggle that had occured on the second night.   
  
"Okay, Ayeka, I'm there, now what do I do?" Washu asked after a half-hour tour of the house.   
"You gotta sit on the floor," Ayeka answered, apparently woken up. "No biggie, just kneel on the ground in front of the mirror for a half an hour. And don't forget - you have to go into the other room when your done, so don't come back to me." This last comment was something even the greatest scientific genius of the universe feared. The end of the dare was all she thought about as she completed the first half.   
The half an hour seemed more like five minutes, since Ayeka soon said, "The first half is over. Now turn off the flashlight and look around."  
The idea of looking around in the most haunted room of the house sounded freaky enough, but actually accomplishing it wasn't as bad as it seemed.   
By the time the hour was complete, it was official that Ayeka had fallen asleep and wasn't waking up for another eight hours. Without the assisting of the radio, Washu found her way downstairs, opened the right door and walked inside, shutting the door behind her. But there was a slight problem with the scene...  
"Ryoko?" Washu asked, confused. It was true. Ryoko's body lay wehre Hiro should've been. But, then... where was...?  
Washu stood terrified. All senses seemed to have left her body. SHe didn't seem to notice that the door slammed closed behind her, or that a few of the white candles had lost their glow. The one thing that brought her back to earth was the hand on her shoulder. She screamed and turned around...  
"What the heck are you doing?" Hiro asked. Washu couldn't answer - she had turned completely white. Hiro was alive again?!?!  
"So it is true," she said, finding her voice. "I did bring you back to life. Hiro looked at her, bewildered.   
"I was never dead to begin with..." she told her. T.B.C. 


End file.
